Leah Goodwin

Leah believes that the arts are a universal tool for healing. She is the owner of Leah Goodwin Creations, “Where Art and Soul Meet”. She has a diverse background that includes strategic planning; fundraising; event, festival, and conference coordination; art and culture projects; curating gallery exhibits; and creating art master plans. Her exemplary career in the arts encompasses everything from public arts management, to visual and performing arts program development and consultation, to creation and implementation of award-winning arts in education and arts in hospital programs.

Leah has held many important leadership roles in the arts, including Director of Visual and Performing Arts at the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation in San Diego, CA and Director of Museum and Education for the California Center for the Arts, Escondido (CA), where she presented seventeen exhibitions over four years. She is a proud founding faculty member for RISE San Diego’s Urban Leadership Fellows Program, chair of the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls for the County of San Diego, and co-chair of the Imperial Beach Sun and Sea Festival.
In August 2015, she created the San Diego Experience of the Civil Rights Movement exhibit acknowledging the anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, which is on displayed all around San Diego. In 2019, she created and curated the 1619 Celebration of Black Women exhibit for the California Women’s Museum.

Leah is an accomplished and published poet and writer, including significant contributions to the book, Teaching English Language Learners through the Arts, by Merryl Goldberg. Her honors include a Moxie Award for being a Woman of Grit and Determination, and being one of the selected featured women in Beautiful, Brilliant and Brave: A Celebration of Black Women exhibit for her work in art and culture.